Shadowland
by Kitsune's-uchiha
Summary: At the end of a war there is always a time of peace. But how long can it last? Can someone change their views of the world to save those who they care for? Sasuke x Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note- This story follows the main story line of the manga/anime but there will be slight differences. For example certain character deaths that have happened in the manga may not be true in this story. Anyways enjoy!

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 1

The final battle had been overwhelming and devastating. The land where the battle took place had been torn apart by the pure power of the many jutsu's used. Tobi had been a greater force to reckoned with than anyone could ever have imagined. At the beginning it had been Tobi against Naruto in an awe-inspiring one on one fight. However it wasn't long until Kakashi appeared to aid his old student. The fight then, for a short while at least, seemed to turn in their favour. This advantage soon disappeared though. Both Naruto and Kakashi had been fighting for days and their chakra levels were somewhat depleted. It was at this point Tobi blasted Kakashi with a very powerful jutsu rendering him unable to continue the fight. Tobi aimed another jutsu at the silver haired man to finish him off but Guy, who had been watching the battle from the side lines, saved Kakashi at the last moment using the speed he gained from opening his inner gates.

Knowing he was now alone, Tobi started focusing his attacks back towards Naruto. After what seemed like a lifetime of throwing jutsu's and attacks at each other, Tobi managed to land a chakra infused punch to Naruto's cheek sending him rolling through the dirt dazed. Tobi sauntered towards Naruto as the younger ninja tried to gain his bearings. Tobi looked down at the battered boy and laughed calling the blond weak before readying his final attack. Naruto closed his eyes, willing his body to move but knowing that it was too late. He saw a bright light shining through his closed eyelids and felt the heat tickling his face.

He waited for the pain but he felt no more than the pain that was already wreaking his bruised body. He opened his eyes to see Tobi standing a few feet away with dying flames dancing on the floor between them. Tobi had his head lifted as though looking to the top of the small hill behind Naruto. Grunting in pain, Naruto rolled himself onto his back so that he could look up at the object of Tobi's attention. Standing at the top of the hill was a dark figure. The person had one of their hands on their hip with the other resting at their side. Blue eyes squinted to better see the person who had just saved his life but the figure jumped out of view. Naruto heard a soft thump on the ground next to him and jerked his head round to see what had made the noise.

"Sa-Sasuke?"

There standing on the ground in between Tobi and himself was the man he had spent the past three years of his life chasing. Sasuke twisted his head ever so slightly to glance at Naruto over his shoulder.

"Dobe."

Focusing his eyes forwards once more he launched himself at Tobi, unsheathing his katana in the process. Seeing that the enemy was now occupied two medical ninja rushed down to aid Naruto. They made quick work of healing all of Naruto's external wounds and while one of them continued to heal any inner injuries the other gave Naruto some potion that would help replenish as much of his chakra as possible. This only took a few minutes but by the end of it Naruto felt much more like his usual energetic self. After quickly thanking the medical ninja and telling them to retreat for now the blond turned to focus back on the fight between his friend and Tobi.

At the moment they seemed to be on equal footing. Both of their movements so fast they blurred before the naked eye. They both aimed a jutsu at each other that propelled them apart, both ninja landing gracefully a few metres apart. Naruto rushed forward to stand at Sasuke's side and braced himself for the fight once more. Tobi took his chance to verbally attack Sasuke, rebuking him for his choice on which side to fight. Sasuke merely snorted at the attempt to convince him to swap sides and looked towards the blond ninja beside him.

"Are you ready, Naruto?"

Naruto smirked and nodded his head in affirmation as they launched themselves into a simultaneous attack. The fight seemed to go on forever. A seemingly endless stream of jutsu from all three ninja. It wasn't until Naruto, with the help of Kyuubi's chakra, and Sasuke combined their most powerful jutsu together to finally rid the world of the great evil that was Tobi. The resulting explosion was colossal. The shockwave from the attack blasted out for miles. The devastation was vast. A huge crater was left behind and any close by, surrounding trees were up-rooted. Sakura, Tsunade and many others who had been heading towards the fight in hope to aid Naruto froze at the explosion. They all shared worried glances before running full speed towards the fight zone.

They got there to find the two medical ninja that had healed Naruto briefly before his resumed fight with Tobi, crouched down next to two of the three bodies lying at the bottom of the crater. As the group approached they saw the distinctive red chakra of Kyuubi still enveloped around Naruto's and Sasuke's still forms. To say they were shocked at Sasuke's presence was an understatement but they had more pressing matters to deal with. Tsunade and Sakura rushed forward to assess the damage to the two boys while Yamato and the Raikage moved to examine Tobi. After checking to make sure it was the real Tobi they declared him dead and proceeded to burn his body so that there was no possible way he could be revived.

It took Tsunade, Sakura and the two medical ninja ten minutes of intense healing until Sasuke began to stir. They didn't have to wait long for the blond to do the same but carried on healing them as much as they could. Naruto was the first to open his eyes. He looked up to see Tsunade crouched over him and his friends and allies crowded around. Turning his head he saw Sakura and one of the medical ninja still healing Sasuke. He watches as the dark eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times before they turned to look directly back at him.

"We did it Sasuke." Naruto murmured with a smile. Sasuke smirked slightly before answering, "Dobe." His eyes drifted shut again as Naruto grinned weakly back at him before his eyes too closed with exhaustion. It was over. It was finally over. The Fourth Great Ninja War was done. There was a surreal, sorrowful sort of peace across the lands but this peace had come at such a great cost. Thousands upon thousands had given their lives to stop the evil that the Akatsuki had brought to their world. Many thousands more were injured and it would take a while before everything went back to normal. They all knew that the peace wouldn't stay forever but while it lasted it would be greatly appreciated.

* * *

Blue eyes opened and snapped shut almost immediately as a blinding light burned their retinas. Naruto groaned groggily as he rubbed his sensitive eyes. After a few minutes he tried once more to open his eyes, blinking to give them time to adjust to the bright light. As his eyes focused on the white tiled ceiling above he registered a quiet consistent beeping. "_The hospital," _he thought. He looked down at his body to assess his situation. There were white bandages wrapped around his chest and on his right elbow. He gave his ribs an experimental prod but found the pain was faint. He stretched his bandaged arm out a couple of times and did a few quick jabs. He felt a slight twinge at the joint and decided that it would need another day or two of rest before it was fully healed.

"Naruto!" The blond jumped but before he had a chance to seek out the owner of the voice he found himself being crushed and his vision invaded by bright pink. Gasping for breath he tried to figure out if his life was in danger or not. In his surprised state his brain was finding it difficult to string together a complete thought process. The pressure around his ribs was suddenly released and the bright pink that was obscuring his vision retreated to reveal the happy face of his team mate. Taking a few deep breaths to re-expand his lungs, Naruto studied the face of his pink haired friend. Seeing the relief and happiness in her green eyes, the blond felt a grin tugging at his lips.

"Well Sakura-chan if I didn't have bruised ribs before you came in, I certainly do now." Sakura snorted and slapped team mate upside the head.

"You idiot." She teased and leant down to hug him considerably more gently this time. "I'm so glad you're okay. Do you realised how close you came to dying?"

"I know Sakura-chan. I'm sorry for making you worry but I'm alright now. Promise." Naruto grinned, his bright smile easing Sakura's worries. "I'm glad to hear it Naruto." The blond haired shinobi watched as Sakura's gaze moved off to the side and became worried once more. Confused, Naruto turned his head to see what she was looking at and froze as his wide blue eyes settled on the only other bed in the room that he hadn't noticed before. There lying in the bed was his dark haired friend. The man who had helped him to defeat Tobi and save the world.

"Sasuke?" Naruto sat up and twisted his body so he could see his friend better. Sasuke, like himself, had a few bandages wrapped around his body here and there but looked otherwise fine. His eyes were closed and his breathing was steady and even. "How is he Sakura-chan?" he asked without taking his eyes off the sleeping man.

"He's just sleeping. He actually woke up yesterday. I came in to check on the two of you and he was just staring up at the ceiling. I asked him how he was feeling and…well, you know Sasuke. He turned his head and glared at me. Then he just turned his head to the side and stared at you for a good minute or so, before drifting off to sleep again."

Naruto just blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. Well, maybe the Sasuke glaring bit sure. As Sakura said, that was just Sasuke being his usual bastardy self. But the staring, Naruto wasn't so sure about. He hoped the Uchiha wasn't plotting ways to kill him. The blond shook his head at the idea. "_Sasuke fought beside me to defeat Madera. He can't still want to kill me. Right?"_

"How long have we been out Sakura? What happened after we collapsed?"

The pink haired girl smiled at her team mate. She took a seat on the edge of his bed before replying. "You've been out for a week-"

"A WEEK?" The blond shouted, eyes wide with surprise.

"Yes, a week. You can't be that shocked Naruto. You used up so much of your chakra in that battle and you both took such a pounding. When Tsunade-sama and I got there the Kyuubi's chakra was surrounding the two of you. I think it was trying to keep the both of you alive until help came. It took me, Tsunade-sama and two other medical ninja to bring you back. You were both so close to dying then. After we stabilised you, we brought you back to the village as quickly as possible. They burnt Tobi's body shortly after you guys were moved. He's gone for good now thanks to you and Sasuke." The kunoichi smiled softly at her friend.

Naruto smiled back before asking, "How is everyone?" He watched as the smile slowly slid off Sakura's face and felt his heart drop.

"Most of our friends miraculously survived the war, but…" Her eyes dropped to look at the bed and her head hung down slightly. Naruto's chest felt tight and he had to steel himself before gently asking, "Who?"

Sakura gave a quiet sigh and lifted her head up to reply. "Inuzuka Hana, she…she gave her life to save her comrades who were injured and being tended to. Kiba found her after the fighting ceased. He carried her the whole way back and wouldn't let anyone take her from him." Sakura took a breath then carried on. "Temari of the Sand also lost her life in battle. And Tenten…well, she is still alive however she used up too much of her chakra and sustained great injuries while fighting. Her chakra network was damaged but they are giving her the best treatment and trying to reverse the damage. The treatment is slow and it will take months of specialised training until she can fight how she used to, if she can ever get to that level again. There is even a small chance that she will no longer be allowed to be a ninja."

Naruto closed his eyes as he took in all the information. Sakura observe the blond, watching the sorrow on his face. She gently touched the back of his hand with her own to gain his attention. He opened his eyes to look at her, taking note of the sad smile upon her lips. "But we must not be all sad. We need to look to the future. A future that many gave their lives for so we must honour them and carry on. Konoha still needs to be fully rebuilt and we will need all the hands we can spare. Our village will be splendid again. Tsunade-sama said this to us all once we arrived back to the village. It has kept everyone's spirits up when we needed it the most."

Naruto smiled. She was right. Konoha needed to be rebuilt, people needed to be healed and they needed to be positive, needed his smile. Naruto's gaze shifted towards the other bed in the room and settled on the face of its occupant. His eyes grew more determined. Yes, he would be happy and help to remake his home and help people to try rebuild their lives. "_Some may need my help more than others" _he thought.

* * *

Later that day Tsunade came to check on the two young men after Sakura had reported that they had both woken up. When she arrived she found Naruto awake and staring at Sasuke, as though he would disappear if he looked away. She opened the door and stepped into the room. Naruto hearing someone enter, turned his gaze from his friend to the doorway. His face immediately lit up with a wide grin. "Baa-chan!"

"How you feeling brat?" she asked, coming over to embrace him.

"I feel fine Baa-chan." He grinned again as she started to give him a check-up.

"Well most your wounds have fully healed already. You still have a few bruised ribs and that elbow still isn't quite right but you'll heal up just fine within the next few days. I'm keeping you I tonight though." Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Tsunade held her hand up to silence him. "I know you brat. As soon as you step foot outside this hospital you will be running around trying to help everyone and I want you to be fully rested before you run off attempting to do ten things at once."

Naruto huffed. "But Baa-chan, I'm fine!" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him looking sceptical. She reached over and prodded him in the ribs with a finger. Naruto cried out at the sudden pain in his chest. "Itai!" He glared up at the large breasted women standing next to him, who was looking decidedly smug.

"Must you be so loud Dobe?"

"Oh shut up-" Naruto began to respond when his eyes grew wide with surprise. He span around so fast it was a wonder he did not get whiplash. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke stared indifferently at the wide eyed blond who was sitting across from him.

"Hn."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the typical non-verbal response and opened his mouth to scold his friend when Tsunade interrupted him.

"Ah good. You're awake Uchiha." Her eyes travelled from the blond to the raven haired boy across the room, hardening as they went. Sasuke held her gaze, easily reading the mistrust in her eyes. Tsunade however had no such luck. Try as she might, she could not tell what the young Uchiha was thinking or feeling. He was a closed book to her. She knew that Naruto trusted the other boy but she could not so easily overlook his past and allow the trust to form. He had abandoned his village and tried to kill his friends on several occasions, slipping further and further into the darkness he had let himself walk headfirst into. Even now, after having helped Naruto defeat Tobi, he was still closed off to everyone around him, possibly teetering on the edge of the darkness about to fall. Sighing internally, Tsunade moved over to Sasuke to examine him. Though the boy made a great effort not to let any pain show on his face, the legendary medical kunoichi did not miss the tensing of various muscles and his jaw when she prodded at the bandaged areas on his body. "_Both just as stubborn as the other." _Having finished with her check-ups, the older lady made her way towards the door and turned around once she reached it.

"You will both stay for another night to allow your bodies more recovery time." She said, stern eyes fixed onto bright blue ones. "Now I have to meet with the elders to decide your fate Uchiha." Naruto's head shot up to look at the Hokage, eyes filled with confusion and worry.

"But Sasu-"

"I am well aware that Sasuke helped in the defeat of Tobi and it _will_ be taken into account. However in the eyes of the village he is still a traitor and will need to stand trial. Now, as I said before I need to meet with the elders to discuss these matters. A team of ANBU will be stationed outside this room to monitor you," and seeing Naruto's fidgeting she added sternly, "Both of you." She turned and left before the blond could make a retort.

Naruto huffed as he glared at the door. "_Stupid Baa-chan. I'm fine. I don't need baby sitting by some stupid ANBU." _His eyes flickered over to the other occupant of the room. Naruto studied the others face intently. He looked, for the most part, unaffected by the news Tsunade had just delivered to them concerning his fate. Naruto's brow furrowed slightly as he questioned mentally how the raven could be so relaxed at a time like this. Part of him half expected his friend to get up and flee from the village. The chances of Sasuke being imprisoned for his previous crimes seemed, to be honest, higher than Naruto was happy with. In all the years he had spent chasing his friend, trying to convince him to return to the village, he hadn't really considered the possibility of Sasuke being imprisoned, or even worse, executed, for his crimes.

Now Naruto wasn't an idiot like most people believed, he knew that this would happen if Sasuke ever returned, but he had supressed any thoughts on the matter, focusing instead on becoming stronger, tracking his friend down and bringing him home. Sasuke, feeling Naruto's gaze on him, turned to face the blond. He had a confused look on his face as he stared at the Uchiha. "_Well some things never change I guess." _The dark haired ninja raised a slender eyebrow in question.

"I don't get it!" Naruto half shouted in exasperation.

"Well that's hardly ground breaking news dobe," Sasuke replied with a slight smirk on his face.

"Shut up teme! How can you be so relaxed?"

Sasuke merely shrugged nonchalantly. He had expected nothing less from the moment he woke up and realised his was in Konoha. Naruto's expression changed from that of confusion to slight anger. "How can they still be making you stand trial? You helped save the frickin' world! We would never have won the fight if you hadn't shown up." The jinchuriki ranted, arms gesturing wildly. Sasuke blinked before sighing softly.

"Dobe. It's like she said. I am a rogue ninja. I abandoned my village to join Orochimaru and then joined the Akatsuki. I am a traitor, and regardless of how I aided you I must stand trial as one." Sasuke looked over at the younger boy. It did not look like his anger had been sated by the Uchiha's words. He still looked confounded at the events that were unfolding in front of him. "Honestly, I am surprised that my wounds have been treated and I am in the hospital rather than a high security cell. Though I may very well end up in one of those soon or not if they decide a death sentence is more appropriate." Sasuke admitted rather dryly staring out the window at the setting sun. After a few moments of silence with no response from his temporary roommate, the pale boy turned to the unusually quiet blond. He was chewing intently on his lip, eyes seemingly glued to his lap looking lost in thought as well as slightly worried. He then started to slowly shake his head.

"No."

Sasuke waited a few seconds for further clarification from the blond but received none.

"No? No what?" He pried, curious to the strange behaviour of the usually loud mouthed boy.

"I won't let them kill you." Naruto stated gently but firmly before shifting his intense gaze to Sasuke, azure eyes locking with obsidian. "I promise."

Sasuke felt his heart thud at the intensity of his friends stare. Naruto spoke with such conviction that Sasuke couldn't help but find himself believing the blondes words and nodded his head gently, unable to break eye contact. He was used to Naruto being intense and passionate about whatever subject he was speaking about, it came with his personality. However Sasuke couldn't help but feel like something was different this time. He tried to read Naruto's eyes but those blue orbs were a storm of so many different emotions that Sasuke could do nothing but stare. There was something nagging in the back of his mind, telling him that there was something different about this situation, about _Naruto, _something _important, _but for the life of him he couldn't figure it out.

Feeling slightly frustrated that he couldn't figure out something his mind had deemed important, Sasuke somewhat reluctantly broke the eye contact and went back to gazing out the window. Naruto opened his mouth but couldn't find anything to say to break the silence. There was a tension in the room and the tanned boy couldn't decide whether it was good or bad one, though he did know that it felt slightly awkward. Well, it did for him at least. Taking one last quick look at his stoic friend, he settled back into his pillows and tried to relax. His mind however had other ideas and would not stop racing. Thoughts flying rapidly through his mind kept him awake for hours. His mind kept playing different scenarios of how Sasuke's trial would go, going from bad to worse.

When he eventually slipped into the dream realm, the scenarios his mind had conjured up played out even more vividly and with greater detail. No matter how hard he tried he could not save his friend. He tried to walk up to Sasuke, but with every step he took the raven haired boy seemed to get further and further away. Becoming desperate, the blond started to run, however he found his path blocked by a door that had not been there a few minutes ago. He turned the handle and attempted to open the door. It wouldn't budge. He pushed harder. Nothing happened. Growing frustrated he formed a rasengan in his hand but as he went to strike the door the ball of chakra dissipated. From behind the door he heard a heart wrenching scream.

_"SASUKE!"_ Naruto tried his rasengan again only to achieve the same results as last time. He grabbed the door handle and pushed with all his might. The door still remained closed, silently mocking him and his failure. "_**AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"**_Naruto jumped and started to panic as the screams from behind the door became louder and longer. Tears began to stream down scarred cheeks as Naruto pounded on the door. He tried everything he could think of to get through the door. Then suddenly, silence. The screams stopped. The silence was heavy and pressed against Naruto's ears. Tanned fist slammed against the door. "_Sasuke? SASUKE!" _The blond slid down the door despondently as a sob escaped from his throat. The tears came harder and fast as the boy shook his head. "_I'm sorry Sasuke. I'm so sorry." _He whispered as the darkness began to overtake him.

Naruto woke with a start. His skin was clammy, covered in a cold sweat, his breathing heavy. His eyes darted around the room and landed on the only other occupant. He stared intently, relaxing once he saw the steady, rhythmic movement of his chest. Letting out a soft sigh of relief, the blond let himself ease back into the comfort of the pillows. As his mind stopped racing Naruto could feel the embarrassment of his panic seeping into him. Of course Sasuke was okay. It was just a dream. A nightmare. He turned onto his side so that he was facing the window and Sasuke. He noticed how the moonlight delicately illuminated the porcelain skin of his friend and how relaxed his face seemed. A small smile worked its way onto Naruto's face as he wondered how many people had seen Sasuke like this. The younger boy started to feel the pull of sleep and realised just how exhausted he felt. He felt even more tired than when he fell asleep a few hours ago. His eyelids became heavy as he gazed at his friend and slowly drifted off into a much more relaxing, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Sasuke shifted in his sleep, the early morning sunlight penetrating through his closed eyelids chasing away the sleep that had hold of his body and mind. Obsidian eyes flickered open, an action that was immediately regretted as the first rays of the sun burned his retinas. He scrunched his eyes closed and rubbed at them in an attempt to alleviate the splotchy vision he had gain by looking into such an intense light. Turning his body away from the window he once more opened his eyes, blinking a few times to let them adjust. Naruto, he noticed, was still fast asleep, snoring lightly as he drooled onto his pillow. The dark haired nin rolled his eyes at the sight. He would have thought that the blond would have outgrown such things by now.

He wondered briefly if Naruto still held many of his immature traits that he had had when Sasuke was still a part of team 7. "_I hope he isn't still obsessed with ramen." _Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye Sasuke shifted to see what it was that had caught his attention. Through the window at the top of the door Sasuke could see a slightly distorted silhouette of a person. "_ANBU" _he thought. He sighed and looked at the clock on the opposite wall. "_Nearly 7:00. I wonder what time my trial will be." _He let his thoughts race, thinking of all the possible outcomes of his trial. "_At best I can hope for imprisonment I guess. Worst case scenario, execution." _He thought back to Naruto's promise from last night and shook his head. He felt a little foolish for letting himself believe the idiots words. Naruto had no real power or say in the outcome of the trial. "_No matter how sure of himself he is, the idiot cannot-"_

His thoughts derailed as the door to the room opened revealing a small nurse pushing a trolley with two trays of food on it. She looked up at him, making eye contact. He watched as the small smile dropped from her face and her eyes hardened. She picked up one of the trays and brought it over to him, looking at him sceptically, like she thought he would leap up and attack her. He took the tray from her grasp with a small nod of thanks then proceeded to watch as she picked the other tray up and placed it on Naruto's bedside cabinet before curtly leaving with her trolley. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the display and turned to eat his porridge. He didn't know what he had expected to be honest. Naruto was probably the only person in the entire village to trust him, not that Sasuke actually cared. He picked up the apple off his tray and ate it before looking over at the sleeping blond. He smirked slightly as he threw the apple core and it hit directly in the middle of the tanned boys forehead.

Naruto's eyes snapped open as he jumped up into a sitting position. Blue eyes darted around the room looking for the cause of his rude awakening. They landed on an apple core resting innocently on the edge of his bed. Azure eyes narrowed as they turned to the pale boy occupying the other bed in the room. "What the hell Teme?"

"Food." Was the simple reply he received. He picked up his tray of food before huffing and turning his back on his friend. He ate a spoonful of porridge, grimacing at the cardboard like taste. "Why can't they ever serve ramen in here?" he questioned as he continued to eat the porridge. Sasuke opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as the door opened again. One of the ANBU who had been stationed outside the room entered. Naruto put down his now empty bowl and looked at the elite ninja in the doorway.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto. The Hokage has requested your presence. We will escort you to her office immediately."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke nervously. The raven haired boy looked once again indifferent and simply rose from his bed and moved to stand next to the ANBU. Naruto shook his head mentally and moved to do the same.

A few minutes later the boys found themselves standing in front of a polished wooden desk in the Hokage mansion. It had a dark wooded box placed in the middle with no indication as to what lay inside. Tsunade looked at the two young men standing before her. The elder of the two stood completely still, looking for the most part like an uninterested, very life-like statue. His companion however had not stopped fidgeting since he entered the room, his face clearly showing the worry that was going through his head. She leant back in her chair before addressing the two in front of her.

"Well Uchiha, I have met with the village elders to discuss the terms of your punishment for your past crimes. The sentence for treason and assassination of a village elder is life-long imprisonment and death. It has been decided that d-"

"Wait, What?" Naruto interrupted. "What do you mean it's been decided? I thought there was supposed to be a trial or something? How come they didn't-"

"Shut it brat!" Tsunade yelled over the ranting boy. "It was deemed unnecessary to hold a full trial as all the relevant information was already known."

"But…" the younger boy started but fell silent at the intense glare sent his way.

"Naruto, unless you have forgotten, we are recovering from a war. To hold a full trial of this calibre would mean dragging important people and shinobi from their assigned jobs. That is something which we cannot really afford at such a time. As I was saying, Uchiha, it has been decided that, due to your aid in the defeat of Tobi, and Danzo's corruption, you will be sent to the high security cells for a minimum of one year. At the end of this year you will be assessed by Morino Ibiki and Yamanaka Inoichi. Further sentencing will be decided on what they report back. You will also be made to wear chakra inhibitors that will prevent you from using any jutsu or your Sharingan."

Sasuke glanced towards Naruto. The blond looked caught between being relieved that there was, as of yet, no death sentence, and worried at the possibility that such a punishment may yet be decided. Looking back at the Hokage, Sasuke nodded stiffly in understanding.

Tsunade reached forwards and opened the dark wooden box that lay in front of her. She pulled out something that Sasuke took to be three chakra inhibitors. Two of them looked like they were for fitting around his wrists. The other however was much too large to go around someone's wrist. Black eyes narrowed as he realised the other was for around his neck. "_They want to collar me like some dog," _he thought bitterly.

Tsunade motioned for the ex-rogue ninja to step forward so she could attach the inhibitors but Sasuke remained where he was standing, glaring at the woman. The doors behind them opened and a team of ANBU entered. Naruto's eyes flickered nervously between the ANBU and Sasuke. One of the ANBU, which Naruto assumed to be the captain, had their hand resting on the hilt of their sword, ready to intercept Sasuke should he try to fight or flee. The tension in the room was almost unbearable to the usually hyperactive blond.

"Sasuke…" he pleaded quietly but the Uchiha remained still. The younger boy could feel Tsunade's frustration building up which was never a good thing at the best of times. Taking a breath, the blond stepped forwards and placed his hand reassuringly on his friends shoulder. He felt the other tense at the touch. "Please," he whispered just load enough for Sasuke alone to hear. The raven sent a sidelong glance to the Kitsune beside him. Pleading, almost desperate eyes met conflicted obsidian ones. After a moment Sasuke let out a barely perceptible sigh and stepped towards Tsunade, holding out his wrists. Naruto breathed out a sigh of relief and watched as the chakra inhibitors where placed around his friends wrists and neck.

As soon as the devices were clipped around his wrists and neck Sasuke felt an unusual pressure in his body. It was like something inside him had become twice as dense and was weighing him down. His fists clenched at his sides as he took note of the unusual pressure around his neck.

The Hokage motioned for the ANBU team to step forward and lead the young Uchiha to his cell. They left the room, Sasuke flanked on all sides by the shinobi. Naruto went to follow but stopped at the sound of his name. "Naruto I would like a word with you before you go anywhere." Tsunade stated, her voice leaving no room for argument. Shoulders slouching, the blonde stopped walking and turned to face his leader.

"Naruto I want you to understand how serious this situation is. The elders were more than happy for a death sentence to be given. It took a lot of effort on my part and that of Nara Shikaku to get a, somewhat temporary, prison sentence for Uchiha. We only managed this because holding a full trial at this moment in time was highly impractical. The truth of the matter is this is like a sort of on-going trial for Sasuke. He will be monitored constantly. This prison sentence may only be temporary. As I said before, Sasuke will have to be assessed _thoroughly _by Ibiki in a year to determine the rest of his sentence. He will need to prove that his mind is stable enough to live once more in the village and that he has no hidden motives for coming back. If he fails, I am afraid there is not much I could do to prevent an execution. Even if he passes he may very well spend the rest of his life in the high security cells. That is not much of a life for anyone Naruto."

Naruto stood still, thoughts racing through his head. He should have known there was a catch to this. He had been so relieved when there had been no mention of an execution that he had not considered the possibility of such a fate being decided later, after Ibiki had assessed Sasuke. Worried blue eyes closed as he took a steadying breath. _'No! I made a promise to him. I won't let him die,' _he thought. Tsunade's brown eyes softened as she watched the worry fade from the younger blondes face and be replaced by a strong look of determination.

"That won't be Sasuke's fate. I made a promise that I wouldn't let that happen and I meant it," Naruto bowed his head before curtly turning and leaving the Hokage alone in her office.

* * *

**A.N- **Well there you go. Tell me what you think so far. I will warn you now, updates may be a bit slow but I will try my best to get chapters written and uploaded :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Shadowland**

**Chapter 2**

It was quite a cool day in Konoha. A gentle breeze was constantly blowing through the streets. Hisato rolled his shoulders as he stood in the same spot he had been standing in for the past 3 hours. He sighed dramatically before turning to face his partner.

"This is so _boring _Keigo. Guard duty sucks. Nothing interesting ever happens." Hisato complained, slouching against the wall.

"Well whose fault is it that we ended up being stuck on guard duty in the first place? If you hadn't insisted on annoying the captain and just kept your mouth shut we wouldn't be here." Keigo snapped, his patience completely gone by now. His face was covered by his ANBU mask so Hisato could only imagine the look of irritation on his friend's face.

"But we've been here for _hours_ and the only interesting thing that has happened was when they brought that Uchiha guy in…and even that was boring! They just walked straight in. No fuss or anything."

"Are you saying you would rather the prisoner had tried to fight his way to freedom? Are you so quickly forgetting that that was Uchiha Sasuke? If he had fought we most likely would not be standing here right now."

"I know that but-"

His reply was cut short as they felt a presence drawing nearer. Hisato snapped up to attention as the figure approached. Hisato was not surprised at who was currently walking towards them but rather that he was here so soon. He figured that, since he hadn't come along with the group escorting the Uchiha earlier, he either wasn't aware of the situation or the Hokage had sent him off to do something elsewhere and he would arrive well after his shift of guard duty was over.

He saw Keigo send him a glance, obviously thinking along the same lines as himself. The Hokage had made it clear that this young man was to be permitted to see his friend when he came. There was no 'if' in the order as they all new that he would definitely be along at some point.

Naruto walked up to the two ANBU who were standing guard outside the door leading to the high security cells of Konoha. As he neared they stepped forward, blocking his path to the door. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke, "I'm here to see Uchiha Sasuke."

The ninja to the left nodded once. "A guard inside will lead you to his cell. Please leave all your weapons with one of the other guards." The two ANBU stood aside letting the blond push his way through the heavy doors to the cells. After depositing all his weapons he was lead down the winding corridors to a small cell. It was small and somewhat cold with a single wooden bed chained to one of the walls. Said bed was currently occupied with a raven haired young man who was lying on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. Naruto moved to stand next to the cell, wrapping his hands around the bars.

"Sasuke…"

His voice trailed off at a loss of what to say. Cold, black eyes slid over to look at the blond. Naruto could see the anger held within them and winced slightly. He knew that the chakra inhibitor around Sasuke's neck was a massive hit to his pride. Naruto had a feeling that it was the elders' idea to put a chakra inhibitor around his neck. Tsunade knew it was unnecessary. The ones around his wrists were enough but the Kitsune knew the elders would get some sort of sick pleasure at bringing Uchiha Sasuke down to this level.

"_**Of course it was the elders Kit. The Uchiha brat has caused them quite a bit of trouble so naturally they want to exert their power over him while they can do so easily," **_Kyuubi stated.

The blond could feel the anger bubbling up inside him.

'_They have no right to treat him like that! He _chose _to come back. He wasn't forced…well not really. He could have just left as soon as he woke up but he didn't,' _Naruto ranted mentally at the demon.

The Kyuubi let out a dry laugh.

"_**For them it is not about having the right to do something but having the power. They have tried for your entire life to keep you confined to the village and attempted to prevent you from moving up the ranks. And why was that Kit?"**_

Naruto thought about it for a moment._ '…Because they feared me. Feared you.'_

"_**They feared your power. They have always and will always fear that which is more powerful than they are. And they will do all they can to hold that power back. Try to contain it. The Uchiha clan have always been very proud. The elders believe by attacking his pride they will weaken him." **_

Naruto's brow furrowed. _'Sasuke will not be weakened so easily. Especially by a couple of old people who think they know everything!"_

Having finished his internal conversation with the fox demon he refocused his gaze on his silent friend.

"You _will_ get your freedom Sasuke." The dark haired ninja scoffed sitting up to stretch his back. "I'm serious. Even if they imprison you for life, I'll just release you when _I'm Hokage._"

Sasuke stilled as a small bubble of hope made its way into him. But he quickly squashed it and lay down facing the stony wall. Seeing that he would get no conversation from his friend, Naruto said his goodbye with a promise of coming back tomorrow and left the cells. Once back outside he took a deep breath of fresh air before heading home. It had been a _long _morning and he just wanted to eat and have a nap.

* * *

It had been six months. Six months since he was put in this cell with nothing but three stony walls and some bars to keep his occupied. He felt disgusting and grimy. He was given a small bucket of cold water and a sponge once a week to bathe with. He tried to clean himself as best he could but his hair was beyond greasy and matted now. He could feel the extra length in his usually short hair making it look even more limp and lifeless. Throughout the moths he had spent in his cell he had had only two visitors.

Naruto came almost every day, only not showing up if he had a mission. He would sit on the floor outside Sasuke's cell and tell him everything he had been up to since he last came. He told him of how Konoha was doing really well with being restored to its former glory. He had been given a small house as opposed to another tiny apartment like he used to live in courtesy of the Hokage herself.

Naruto would try every time he came, to coax his dark haired friend into joining in the conversation but more often than not Sasuke remained silent. He would occasionally give out a "Hn" or a "Idiot" but it was very rare for a full sentence to be spoken.

His other visitor had been Kakashi.

_Sasuke was mildly surprised to see his old sensei show up about a month ago, not that it showed on his face. The lazy pervert had come in to tell him that his assessment with Ibiki had been brought forward and would be happening sometime within the next two months. When Sasuke asked why the date had been changed Kakashi merely shrugged his shoulders and continued to read his ever present book. When the copy ninja looked up he was greatly amused to find his old student's eye twitching in irritation. Smiling innocently, the silver haired shinobi snapped his book closed and put it away._

"_Well I must be going Sasuke. It was lovely to see you again but I was supposed to meet up with Lady Tsunade three hours ago to tell her I had relayed the message to you," the jounin said as he turned to leave. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Kakashi's typical lateness. The older man paused mid-stride and turned to face Sasuke once again, eye scrunched up as he smiled broadly beneath his mask. "Oh and I love the new hairstyle. Really brings out your feminine side," he said sweetly before making a hasty exit. Kakashi snickered as he heard Sasuke's empty metal cup hit the wall where he had been standing just a second ago. He felt a smug sense of accomplishment at being able to easily rile up his old student even after all these years._

_The next time Naruto came to visit him, four days after Kakashi, Sasuke questioned the blond to see if he knew anything about the new trial date. Naruto had looked confused and shocked. "What? Baa-chan hasn't said anything to me about it!" he exclaimed and before Sasuke could get another word in Naruto was running right back down the corridor he had just came down. _

_He returned, looking rather annoyed, half an hour later. _

_"They have changed the date but Baa-chan threw me out her office before I could ask her why. Literally," he said rubbing his backside with a wince. "Who told you about it anyway?" the tanned boy enquired. As far as he was aware, he was the only one who visited the young Uchiha and he doubted Tsunade would give such information to the guards. _

"_Kakashi." He answered._

_Blue eyes blinked in surprise. _

_"When did Kakashi come to see you? I thought he was out on a mission right now?"_

_Pale shoulders shrugged nonchalantly, "Four days ago."_

"_Oh," was the clever reply Naruto gave. He sat down and thought about anything that Tsunade might have said to be recently that could be linked with Sasuke's sentencing but he couldn't think of anything that was significant._

_Sasuke watched the blond silently. He was surprised that the idiot wasn't talking his ear off as usual with his inane chatter. Not that he was complaining. After about ten minutes of silence Naruto stood up and dusted himself off._

"_Hm. I'm gonna go see if I can find anything out about this. See ya Sasuke." He waved and walked off leaving Sasuke alone once more._

That had been five days ago now and Sasuke hadn't seen Naruto, Kakashi or anyone other than the guards since. He was currently lying on his bed counting the spiders running across the floor of his cell when he heard hurried footsteps coming down the corridor. He gazed through the bars just as a shock of blond hair came into view. The orange clad ninja was hunched over, his whiskered cheeks flushed and his breathing heavy.

Once he caught his breath he looked up at Sasuke. His eyes were swimming with excitement, shock and anxiousness. A slender black eyebrow raised in question. The younger boy took a breath before starting. "Your trial is this afternoon. I was going to report in to Baa-chan about my last mission and I heard her telling Ibiki that you would be brought to the interrogation rooms by mid-afternoon," he exclaimed, arms gesturing wildly.

Sasuke remained seemingly unfazed by the news which worried the blond slightly. "Aren't you ya know…a little nervous," he asked head tilted to the side. Sasuke sent him a withering look. "Oh right. The great Uchiha Sasuke isn't scared of anything. I forgot," he said, voice filled with sarcasm.

Obsidian eyes rolled at the comment. "Dobe."

Naruto was about to retort but froze when he heard his name being called sharply. He turned his head to see the Hokage and a team of ANBU walking towards him.

"Hi Baa-chan," he laughed nervously, hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"What are you doing here? You haven't reported in from your last mission yet. How long have you been back?" the older blonde asked.

"Not long. I just came to pay Sasuke here a visit," he said with an innocent smile on his face. Tsunade looked at him sceptically before shifting her gaze to the man within the cell.

"Uchiha it's time for your meeting with Ibiki and Inoichi," she said, motioning for the guard to unlock the cell. Sasuke stood from the bed and walked out of his cell. The team of ANBU immediately started to lead him out of the cells, Tsunade following behind them.

"Oh I expect to see you in my office in half an hour Naruto," she called over her shoulder, and with that the group was gone leaving a stunned Naruto alone in the empty corridor.

* * *

Sasuke sat chained to a chair in a small room not unlike the cell he had been occupying for the past six months. Two men stood staring down at him. One had long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and hard green eyes. The other was taller and much broader than the blond. He had two vertical scars going right across his face and he wore a bandana on his head covering the scars that Sasuke knew were there. Sasuke had seen Ibiki on a few occasions but he still remembered when he first saw the man during the chunin exams all those years ago. The scarred man had pretty much terrified everyone who was sat in the exam room. Even Sasuke would admit that, when he first met Ibiki, he was a little nervous to be in the man's presence.

Ibiki cracked his knuckles, a sinister grin making itself home on his face as he moved towards the Uchiha sitting in front of him. A lesser man would have started to sweat in fear at the look on Ibiki's face but Sasuke's face remained expressionless. The scarred man motion for Inoichi to ready his jutsu, never taking his eyes from Sasuke's.

"Right Uchiha let's see what you've got hidden inside that head of yours. Tell me, why did you turn against Tobi during the war? Weren't you following him for a while?"

Sasuke blinked slowly, remaining silent as he looked at the intimidating man stood before him.

Ibiki let out a grunt at the lack of response he received, "Listen up brat. If I understood correctly, you are going through this _assessment _to prove that you should be allowed to live in the village again. The chances of that happening are looking pretty slim so if I were you I would start co-operating."

Tsunade sat at her desk reading through the report Ibiki had brought to her half an hour ago. Sasuke's assessment had finished well over two hours ago and had lasted for just over an hour itself. The Uchiha had been taken back to his cell whilst awaiting the decision on his sentencing. Tsunade tapped her fingers on the desk as she continued to read.

"_Well he hasn't really been a great help to himself. He barely co-operated, not that I expected anything less from the brat. That means freedom is out of the question," _she thought feeling slightly frustrated. She pulled a blank piece of paper towards her and picked up a pen. Biting the inside of her cheek, she pondered on what she would write. Slowly she brought pen to paper and wrote out her message. Giving it a once over, she deemed it satisfactory and folded it. She placed it inside an envelope and sealed it.

"Shizune!"

The doors to her office opened a few seconds later and a brunette entered quickly with a small pig nestled in her arms.

"Yes Tsunade-sama?" she said upon reaching her superior's desk.

"I need you to take this to the elders. It's my decision concerning Uchiha Sasuke," the older lady said handing over the envelope. Shizune bowed before running off to pass on the letter. Tsunade felt herself frown. She knew that the elders would not be happy with her decision but she had done what she thought would be best in the long run. She let out a quiet sigh, knowing that the elders would be paying her a visit shortly and she would receive an earful of complaints at her decision.

* * *

Naruto walked down the street with his stomach rumbling loudly. He saw Ichiraku's come into sight and sped up. "Hey old man," he greeted happily taking a seat at the counter.

"Naruto! It's good to see you. What can I get you? The usual?" Teuchi asked enthusiastically.

The bond nodded picking up a pair of disposable chopsticks from the pot that was sitting on the counter. A few minutes later a steaming bowl of miso ramen was placed in front him. Naruto snapped his chopsticks apart and began slurping the noodles at an alarming rate. Teuchi always wondered how the boy didn't choke with how quickly and how much he ate. Not that he minded. Naruto was by far his favourite and most loyal customer. He remembered the first time the boy had come to his restaurant.

_He had barely been tall enough to pull himself up onto the tall stools next to the counter. He was wearing a white shirt with a red swirl in the middle that was clearly a few sizes too big on the skinny boy and hung off one of his shoulders. He watched as the child dug around the pockets of his shorts and pulled out a small piece of paper, waving it at the restaurant owner. Teuchi leant over and took the paper. Upon inspection he realised it was a coupon for a free bowl of ramen. He felt a small smile tug at his lips. _

"_What flavour would you like?" he asked the boy kindly. Wide, blue eyes blinked up at him. _

"_Erm…" the blond answered shrugging his small shoulders looking unsure._

"_How about a bowl of miso ramen?" Teuchi asked smiling at the child. The whiskered boy nodded uncertainly, small bony hands tugging nervously at the bottom of his shirt. Teuchi quickly made the ramen and placed in on the counter for the boy. He watched as the child stretched as far as his short arms would allow without knocking his bowl over in an attempt at grabbing some chopsticks from the pot but not quite being able to reach. Chuckling at the sight, he plucked some chopsticks from the pot and handed them to the now blushing blond._

"_Here," he said and watched as blue eyes widened with joy as he took his first bite. Within the next three minutes the bowl was empty. "What's your name kid?" he asked._

"_Naruto."_

_Teuchi smiled, "Well I hope I'll be seeing you around here again Naruto." The blond looked shocked for a moment before a huge grin spread across his face. He hopped down from his stool and went running off through the streets with a wave._

"Naruto!"

Teuchi was pulled from his daydream when a pink haired young woman entered the restaurant.

"Oh hey Sakura-chan. Coming to join me for a bowl of ramen?" Naruto asked with a smile.

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend. "No, Tsunade-sama sent me to get you. She said she needs to see you in her office urgently."

"Do you know what she wants me for?" he asked but Sakura just shook her head. Naruto sighed, placing some money on the counter to pay for his ramen. "I'll see you around gramps. Thanks for the ramen," he said before racing off to the Hokage tower.

Naruto walked down the corridor towards the Hokage's office. He nodded at the two guards pushing the doors open and entered. "Hey Baa-chan, Sakura said you wanted to see me?" He looked up and stopped short. Sasuke stood in front of Tsunade's desk surrounded by a team of ANBU, a sight that was becoming quite common.

"Ah good Naruto, you're here," Tsunade said leaning back in her chair. She looked over at Sasuke before speaking again. "I have looked over Ibiki's report thoroughly and spoken with the elders. You certainly weren't very co-operative Uchiha," she said with a stern look. "Nevertheless I have made my decision." She paused looking at the two young men standing in her office. Naruto looked anxious and was fidgeting, eyes constantly flicking between herself and his pale friend. Sasuke on the other hand looked as emotionless and unfazed as ever.

"Uchiha Sasuke, it has been decided that you will be placed under house arrest for the foreseeable future."

Sasuke blinked in surprise. He had not expected that. When Tsunade had called him to her office from his cell he was sure his fate had been sealed. He had honestly expected lifelong imprisonment at least. He turned his head and glanced at Naruto who looked relieved and happy. He turned back towards Tsunade as a question pushed its way to the front of his mind.

"Who's house will I be imprisoned in? I am assuming that the Uchiha estate was flattened along with the rest of the village during Pein's attack."

"The elders and I decided that you should be placed into Naruto's house. He shall also be your warden along with a team of ANBU stationed nearby at various posts around the house."

"Wait. Why my house? Why not Kakashi's or…or-"

"You have been deemed the most suitable person in the village to watch over Uchiha. Your strength equals his meaning you would be able to handle him until help arrived if he decided to turn traitor once again. Kakashi cannot act as his keeper as his abilities and knowledge are needed in the rebuilding of the village and helping out with important missions." Tsunade explained.

Naruto seemed satisfied with the answer and remained silent. The Hokage turned to face the dark haired boy to finish explaining the terms of his punishment.

"A barrier seal will be place around the house preventing you from leaving. You will be allowed out of the house to wander around the garden at the back but no further. Your chakra inhibitors will also be kept on for obvious reasons. Although…" she trailed off looking thoughtful.

She stood up and moved around to stand in front of Sasuke. Sasuke watched as she raised her hand and it began to glow with chakra. She placed her hand on the chakra inhibitor around his neck and he heard a little click before the device was removed. Dark eyes widened slightly, shocked at the actions of the Hokage. He raised a questioning eyebrow while resisting the urge to rub at his, now bare, neck.

She merely shrugged her shoulders and went to sit back down behind her desk, placing the device in front of her.

"It was somewhat…unnecessary. Besides I have complete faith in the brat's ability to keep you in line," she said with a smirk. Naruto grinned at the sort of compliment and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"A team of ANBU will escort you to Naruto's house. Once you are inside the barrier will be activated. I would strongly suggest that you do not try to get through the barrier." Tsunade said with a minute smirk on her face.

"What happens if he tries to go through the barrier?" Naruto questioned, head tilted slightly to the side.

Tsunade's smirk grew as she answered, "Well if he ever attempts it you'll find out, won't you?"

The doors behind them opened and a team of ANBU entered. Tsunade rose from her chair as the two young men were escorted out of her office. She turned to look out of the window and heard Shizune enter the room.

"They took that rather well. You don't think they'll end up trying to kill each other do you?" Shizune asked sceptically, eyeing her superior.

Tsunade watched as the team of ANBU positioned themselves around the boys they were escorting. She could see Naruto already shouting at the dark haired ninja beside him. She sighed and shook her head slowly.

"Only time will tell."

* * *

**Author's Note**- Hello again. Well there's chapter 2. I re-edited this so many times, I just wasn't satisfied with the original and decided to speed the story along a little quicker. My attempt at writing an interrogation scene sucked something terrible so I cut it right down ^_^' I will try to upload the next chapter quicker this time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Shadowland**

**Chapter 3**

They arrived at a small, quaint house situated about 20 minutes' walk away from the busy, central area of Konoha. The houses in the area were spread slightly apart offering a bit more privacy to the owners. From the front of the house Sasuke could see the fence of the garden extending from the right side of the house until conjoining with that of the neighbouring house. As they approached the front door, Naruto span around to face his dark haired companion.

"Well this is it. Home sweet home." He exclaimed, arms spread wide with a grin plastered to his face.

"Hn."

Crossing his arms, Naruto dropped his grin with a huff and turned to unlock the door. He held it open then bowed with a dramatic sweep of his arm. "After you, your highness." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes and walked into the house. He slipped off his sandals and left them neatly by the door. The screen door to his right was open enabling him to see inside the room. From what he could see it appeared to be the dining room. He walked in and sat down at the table, wincing slightly as the back of the chair pressed against one of his new acquired bruises.

Naruto, who had followed his friend into the room, saw the other wince as he sat down. Now that they were alone the blond took the time to study his friend. He noticed quite a few bruises and cuts on the exposed pale skin of the other man.

"Wow, Ibiki really went rough on ya huh?"

Sasuke sent a cold glare to the blond. He knew he had bruises and scrapes courtesy of Ibiki's interrogation and didn't appreciate the other pointing it out.

"I've got some healing balm upstairs if you want some?" Naruto offered, hoping to help his friend out.

Sasuke considered a moment before answering, "I need to shower first."

"Oh right…erm, yeah. The bathroom is upstairs, the door on the right. There's bunch of towels on the shelves next to the shower." Naruto watched as Sasuke nodded and stood stiffly, making his way out of the room and heading upstairs to shower.

'_Of course he wants to shower. The bastard's been stuck in that cell for months. He's probably been looking forward to having a proper wash since we left Baa-chan's office,' _Naruto thought to himself.

Noticing that it was pretty dark inside the house, Naruto got up and went around opening all of the screens but left the outer glass doors and windows closed. Once he had finished he went back to the dining room to wait for Sasuke to finish his shower.

XXX

Sasuke entered the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Seeing the shower to his right, he lent in and turned the water on, giving it a chance to warm up before he got in. He carefully stripped out of his dirty clothes, wincing again at the pain in his ribs as he removed his shirt. Glancing up he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror.

The first thing he noticed were the cuts and bruises on his face chest and arms. They all varied in size but were all a nasty black colour already. His eyes continued to look over his body, frowning as he noticed the slight loss in muscle from being confined to a small cell for months.

While he had been imprisoned he had kept himself occupied by doing small workouts as best he could in the limited space. But it was still not the vigorous training his body was used to.

The last thing he noticed was the chakra inhibitors on his wrists. His eye twitched in annoyance. They were rather bulky and definitely an eyesore. Shaking his head, he turned around and got into the shower.

As soon as he felt the hot stream of water flow down his body Sasuke let out a content sigh. It felt nice being able to bathe properly once again. After a few minutes of just basking in the pleasant feeling of the hot water running over his body, Sasuke picked up Naruto's body wash and began to clean the grim off his skin.

He tenderly pressed against each of his ribs, assessing the damage caused by Ibiki. Most of them he decided were merely bruised though a few were probably fractured or broken.

Once he had washed the soap from his body he picked up the shampoo and proceeded to work it through his matted hair. As he ran his fingers through the wet locks, washing the suds from his head, he noticed the extra length to his hair that now fell to his shoulders and made a mental note to ask Naruto for some scissors later to trim it.

When he was satisfied that he was clean he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He picked up a towel and rubbed his hair with it before using it to dry his body. When he was dry he looked at his filthy clothes on the floor. His lip curled in disgust at the thought of putting those back on after he had just cleaned up.

Sighing despondently he realised that he would have to ask the blond downstairs to lend him some clothes. He wrapped the towel around his waist and quickly bundled his clothes together before heading downstairs.

XXX

Naruto was sitting at the table, looking out the window when he heard Sasuke coming down the stairs. He turned around to ask the paler male if he wanted to use his healing balm but froze.

Blue eyes widened as he took in the sight of his friend standing there with only a towel wrapped around his hips, hair still dripping a little.

"I don't have any clean clothes," the Uchiha said, holing up the soiled garments in his hand for the blond to see. "Do you have anything I could borrow?"

Naruto took a few seconds to answer, too preoccupied with taking in all the bruises marring the pale flesh before him.

"Err…yeah. Follow me." He moved past the raven and headed upstairs to his room. He went over to the chest of drawers and extracted some lose black pants and a navy t-shirt.

"Here." Naruto threw the pants at the Uchiha who caught them easily but kept hold of the shirt. "Just put your clothes in the hamper in the bathroom."

Sasuke raised an elegant brow at the blond. "And the top," the pale nin asked.

"You can have it once we've treated those injuries," Naruto replied crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Hn." Sasuke turned and headed back towards the bathroom to get changed. As soon as the raven left, Naruto went over to his bedside cabinet to retrieve the balm and some bandages that he had stored there after he last used them. He went back downstairs to the dining room but did not have to wait long for the Uchiha to turn up and take the seat next to him.

Naruto unscrewed the lid of the balm and dipped his fingers in. He reached his now coated fingers towards the pale face only to have his wrist grabbed by the raven.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke questioned.

Naruto blinked at him confused, "Applying the balm to your bruises. What does it look like I'm doing teme?"

"I can do it myself dobe," he replied, still not letting go of the others wrist.

"I never said that you couldn't bastard but unlike you I can see where all the bruises are so I'll be able to do it quicker. Besides I'm gonna have to bandage your chest so I might as well do the balm too," Naruto stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sasuke frowned. He couldn't really understand the blondes' logic on the matter but he slowly released his grip on the tanned wrist. Grinning at the silent acceptance of help, Naruto proceeded to carefully apply the balm to all the bruises on his pale friends face, chest and arms.

Throughout the entire process Sasuke sat stiffly in his chair, looking out of the window opposite. Once he was done with the balm Naruto set about bandaging Sasuke's ribs. He noticed every so often the older nin would flinch slightly as his hands passed over certain ribs. The blondes' brow furrowed as he finished up.

"Sasuke I think you may have a few fractured ribs. Maybe we should get Baa-chan to check you over," he said a little concerned about the others health.

"I'm fine."

Naruto looked at the raven sceptically but shrugged his shoulders at the others stubbornness. He passed the shirt over to his friend who gladly accepted it.

As Sasuke was putting the shirt on Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly, breaking the silence in the room. Laughing awkwardly, the blond rubbed the back of his neck.

"Heh, I guess it's dinner time. Are you hungry Sasuke?" he asked.

Sasuke opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by his stomach groaning. Naruto burst out laughing as a light blush spread across the pale cheeks of his friend.

"I'll take that as a yes. I don't have much food though. I know I have some ramen in the cupboard," he said, but upon noticing the unimpressed look on the Uchiha's face he quickly added, "But how about we just get some take out tonight? You up for some barbecue?"

"As long as it's not ramen I don't care."

The blond rolled his eyes as he got up. "Right, I'll be as quick as I can," he stated as he left.

Sasuke watched through the window as one of the ANBU who was position outside jumped down to question Naruto. He scowled at the thought of being checked up on but put it out of his mind as he got up from his seat.

While Naruto was out it was the perfect opportunity to explore the house that he would be confined to for the foreseeable future.

He crossed the hallway and went into the living room. The floor was covered with tatami mats and the sofa was just to his left, set diagonally to face the T.V in the corner of the room. The right hand side wall was mostly covered by the bookcase, which was sparsely filled with books, some pictures and a few scrolls. Just in front of the bookcase was a round coffee table that was completely surrounded by cushions.

He stepped out of the room and moved down the hallway to a doorway that was covered by light beads rather than an actual door. He pushed the beads aside and found himself in the kitchen. The room was clean and spacious. There was a window positioned above the sink and cooker on the opposite wall. The right hand wall was covered by cupboards and a kitchen counter. Out of curiosity Sasuke went over to one of the overhead cupboards and looked inside. There was a whole shelf dedicated to ramen. He rolled his eyes as he shut the door. He turned around and moved over to the glass doors that lead onto the porch. He slid open one of the doors and stepped out onto the porch.

The garden was a decent size and followed the porch around the right side of the house. The whole garden was surrounded by tall hedges and small trees for extra privacy but other than that it was pretty bare. He stood there for a few minutes enjoying the warm evening breeze.

He took one last glance around the garden before going back inside, closing the door behind him. He went back into the hall and saw a small door just to the right of the stairs. He opened it to find a small empty cupboard. He then made his way upstairs. Having already seen the bathroom he headed into Naruto's bedroom since he only got a quick glance in before.

The room was well lit with a window on the left wall and a sliding glass door on the right. The head of the large bed was pushed up against the opposite wall to where he stood in the doorway. A small bedside table was positioned on each side of the bed, each with a little drawer underneath. Just behind the door was a sliding wooden door. He opened it to find a small closet with some shelf space and a rack with a few jackets hanging from it.

He shut the closet door and went to the sliding glass door. There was a small balcony looking out to the front of the house. Sasuke stepped out and took in the view. Just off to the left you could make out the top part of the Hokage Mountain. The rest of the view consisted of the surrounding houses and the few trees scattered here and there.

The light was fading from the sky rapidly by now and the stars were becoming much more visible. Out of the corner of his eye Sasuke saw movement down on the street. A familiar head of blonde hair came into view. Pushing himself away from the railing the Uchiha made his way into the house again and headed downstairs.

Naruto entered the house and kicked off his sandals. He made his way to the kitchen, flicking on lights as he passed to brighten the now dark house. He set the bag of take out onto the counter just as he heard the beads being moved. He turned his head to see Sasuke entering the kitchen.

"Hey, I didn't know what you liked so I just got some vegetable fried rice and a few barbequed meats and sauce," the blonde said, gesturing to the tubs he was pulling out of the bag.

"That's fine," the older nin said, remaining in the doorway.

Naruto moved about the kitchen getting out plates, cups and chopsticks. "Just serve yourself whatever you like," he said. He picked up the cups and looked back over to his friend, "What would you like to drink? I have milk, juice-"

"Water's fine," the raven cut him off as he finished plating himself some food. He picked up his plate and chopsticks in one hand and turned to face Naruto.

"Okay," Naruto said moving over to the sink to fill up their cups. He handed Sasuke his glass of water which the other accepted with his free hand and headed to the dining room. Naruto quickly put his food onto the plate and went to join the other.

They ate in relative silence, Naruto not knowing what to say and Sasuke preferring the silence anyway. They had almost finished when they heard a sharp knock at the front door. Naruto paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth which was wide open. His brow furrowed. He wasn't expecting anyone tonight. Sighing he placed his chopsticks down and headed to answer the door.

Sasuke had paused at hearing the knock but resumed eating as soon as Naruto got up. He wondered briefly who might be at the door. Perhaps the Hokage was coming to check up on him. Or more likely she had sent Kakashi to do that for her. He shrugged mentally as he continued to eat.

A few moments later Naruto re-entered the room and sat down at the table with a scroll in his hands. Sasuke looked at the scroll with a mild curiosity before taking note of the slight frown on Naruto's face. Feeling Sasuke's stare the blonde let the frown slide from his face.

"Tsunade Baa-chan took me off missions for the next week or so. She said it would be better if I were around while you _'settle in'," _he explained to his silent friend.

Sasuke let out an indignant huff, "You mean so that you can babysit me."

Naruto let out a sigh and gave the other man an apologetic look, "Well at least it gives me some time to go grocery shopping. Oh and I could buy a few pieces of clothes for you I guess."

Sasuke merely grunted before picking up his plate and going to wash it. He had just finished cleaning his dishes when Naruto entered the kitchen. He dried his hands on a nearby towel and left Naruto to wash up.

The Uchiha went into the living room and picked up a random book off the bookshelf. He sat down on the sofa and began to read. When Naruto entered the room a few minutes later he was surprised to find his ward with his nose in a book. Naruto wasn't the biggest fan of reading, the exception being the _Gutsy Ninja, _not that he ever really had much time for reading anyhow.

Naruto sat on the opposite end of the sofa and rested his head back against the cushions. After a few minutes of silence he tilted his head to the side so he could see the other man properly.

"So…have you looked around the house yet?" the blonde asked.

"Yes," Sasuke replied, eyes still glued to the book. It wasn't until he had finished reading the page he was on that he realised the other was still looking at him. Obsidian eyes rose to meet expectant blue ones. Sasuke just continued to stare blankly at the whiskered blonde.

"Well? What do you think?" Naruto asked somewhat nervously having not had many guests around.

Sasuke blinked and sighed mentally, realising that Naruto would probably keep asking until he got his answer. He glanced around the room once more before answering.

"It's not as…bright as I imagined it would be."

Naruto let out a soft laugh. "Yeah. I prefer the neutral colours of the cream and wood. As much as I love bright colours, a whole room painted with them is just a headache waiting to happen." The blonde chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hn," was the reply he received before the dark haired man closed his book, placing it in his lap. "What are your plans for sleeping arrangements?"

"Huh?" Naruto turned to face the Uchiha fully, his confusion written clearly across his face.

"You only have one bed dobe," Sasuke stated dryly, not amused at the blondes lack of comprehension.

Naruto's eyes widened with the realisation of what Sasuke was asking.

"Oh…um…I never really thought about it. Erm…" he cleared his throat before continuing, "I guess we'll just share the bed. I mean it's a double bed so it's not like we'll end up sleeping on top of each other ne?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Naruto's face turned bright red as he realised what he had said.

"Wait, I didn't mean…that didn't come out right," the blonde spluttered waving his hands defensively.

Sasuke merely shook his head before standing up, placing his book on the small table and exiting the room. He headed upstairs and went into the bathroom. He looked through the cabinets and found a spare toothbrush. After brushing his teeth and relieving himself he went into the bedroom. He took off the t-shirt, careful not to hurt his bandaged ribs and placed it on top of the drawers. He then moved over to the left side of the bed and climbed beneath the cool covers.

He lay on his back and closed his eyes, relishing in the softness bed. Compared to the straw mattress he had had in his cell and the thin scratchy blanket this felt heavenly. A few minutes later he heard Naruto enter the room and felt the mattress dip shortly after. Neither spoke a word and soon Sasuke felt himself drifting off.

XXX

Sasuke could feel sleep leaving him but refused to open his eyes. For the first time in months he was waking up feeling warm and comfortable. Resting on his left side, he used his right hand to pull the warm blanket closer to his chest.

"_Wait. Blankets aren't hard."_

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes to find his vision filled with bright blond hair. Jerking his head back he looked down to find his arm now wrapped around a tan chest. He blinked twice before abruptly shoving the blond away from him. Startled, Naruto rolled away from whatever had just jolted him from his sleep.

Sasuke watched as the whiskered nin rolled away from him and teetered on the edge of the bed before gravity won out and he plunged towards the wooden floor below with a startled squawk.

Naruto sat up and rubbed the shoulder which had taken the brunt of the impact. He quickly untangled his legs from the blanket, which he had only just realised he had dragged off the bed with him, and jumped up.

"What the hell teme! What'd you do that for," he shouted at the other male who was still sitting on the bed.

The raven looked up and smirked, "You were on my side." Sasuke got up and walked past Naruto heading for the door.

"So you thought you would just _push me off?_" he asked angrily but Sasuke was already out the door and heading to the bathroom. The blond huffed and threw the comforter back onto the bed making it quickly and sat down on the edge.

He looked out of the glass door opposite him, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. He hated mornings.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Okay that update was a lot later than I had anticipated. Sorry. A lot of stuff came up that I couldn't ignore. However I am back now. My ideas for this story have changed ever so slightly but hopefully for the better. The next chapter will contain a lot of Sasuke and a few short time skips.


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